PHYSICS 120

GENERAL PHYSICS I

Fall 2005

 Catalog Description:

PHYS 120-121

(E) General Physics 8 credits

(Prerequisites: Mathematics 103-114) General college course for pre-medical, pre-dental and biology majors. Mechanics, heat, electricity and magnetism, sound and light. Three hours lecture and recitation and two hours laboratory per semester.

Textbook:

PHYSICS (6th edition) by John D. Cutnell and Kenneth W. Johnson.  John Wiley & Sons (2004).  As you will be responsible for all of the problems in the Student Solutions Manual, it is strongly recommended that you acquire one for your own personal use.

Coordinator:

Paul F. Fahey, Ph.D., Room 279 Harper-McGinnis Wing of St. Thomas Hall. Email: faheyp1@uofs.edu

Goals:

This course should impart a good understanding of general physical principles (such as conservation laws) and their implications for the other natural sciences. Students should also enhance their analytical and problem solving skills.

Attendance Policy:

Students are responsible for all material assigned. Cuts will be recorded only for students receiving failing grades after the midterm. These students will be permitted no unexcused cuts.

Assessment:

The primary assessment will be via three full period tests and the final (which will count as one and one-half tests). There will also be some short quizzes at the beginning of class on the reading assignment for that day. All of these quizzes will equal one full period test. Quiz material will announced one class period prior to the quiz and test material will be announced at least one week prior to the test date. There will be tests on Friday September 16, Friday October 14 and Friday November 11 The time and date of the final will be announced by the Registrar.

Topics:

            These topics comprise the content of the first seventeen chapters of the textbook. The remaining chapters are covered in the second semester of the course.  Since there are 14 weeks plus finals week in the semester, you can see that the pace is better than one chapter per week.

1.      Introduction and Mathematical Concepts.

2.      Kinematics in One Dimension.

3.      Kinematics in Two Dimensions.

4.      Forces and Newton’s Laws of Motion.

5.      Dynamics of Uniform Circular Motion.

6.      Work and Energy.

7.      Impulse and Momentum.

8.      Rotational Kinematics.

9.      Rotational Dynamics.

10.  Simple Harmonic Motion and Elasticity.

11.  Fluids.

12.  Temperature and Heat.

13.  The Transfer of Heat (Optional section depending upon time available).

14.  The Ideal Gas Law and Kinetic Theory.

15.  Thermodynamics.

16.  Waves and Sound.

17.  Interference and Superposition.